In a letter to the editor, Jake Lynch, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, argues that Labour should draw strength from the 'principled majority' in the UK rather than alienating progressive voters. He responds to a recent article by John Harris on the challenge of countering extra-parliamentary mobilisation from the right.
Lynch notes that he attended the three largest demonstrations in London: against South African apartheid in 1985, against the Iraq war in 2003 (1.5 million), and for a second EU referendum in 2019 (around 1 million). He asserts that left-wing mobilisation has historically been far stronger than right-wing efforts.
However, Lynch criticises Keir Starmer and his ministers for cutting themselves off from such support by taking opposite stances on key issues. He calls for a progressive government that would confront apartheid in Israel, stop sending weapons to Israel, disengage from US-led wars, and move towards rejoining the EU.
Such a government, he argues, would draw strength from the principled, progressive majority rather than antagonising and disappointing them.
